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Couldnt agree with you more Robert, although I'd add Boeing employee to that list of those who could be in the know. Sheridan Peterson worked at Boeing during the 727 rollout. His job was in technical documentation. He also founded the Boeing Skydive Club. I bet he had a decent opportunity to examine the test data that Boeing compiled during in flight 727 stair deployments. I know Boeing did such tests because they were accessed to get FAA approval for the 727 jumps at WFFC in Quincy Illinois. Don Kirlin had to do battle to get the test data but he succeeded. A 727 jumpship owned by AMJET made several appearances at the annual skydive meet. I think Cooper had access to Boeing info indicating that the 727 could fly safely with the stairs deployed. He had to know, otherwise capture was nearly certain. He wasn't so dumb as to just guess that it could be opened. He knew speeds, the necessity for unpressurized flight, right altitude to avoid hypoxia but still give sufficient terrain clearance. He had obviously (at least as I see it) done some research. Not even the flight crew knew whether the 727 could fly safely with the stairs down. They had to contact NWA HQ and NWA contacted Boeing which provided the affirmative answer. I have a very detailed 727-100 flight manual and it says nothing about the subject. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

The Bubbleator theme music is truly haunting. Have you heard it Farflung? Listen at your peril however. Kurt Cobain's suicide has been linked to frequent childhood rides in the Bubbleator. Others, who are less knowledgeable, blame a stressful marriage to Courtney Love. Snow has some good recordings. I hear messages in it, like "Paul is the Walrus" and "the Walrus is dead.", Now that is pretty freaky since John Lennon didnt write "I am the Warus" until about 1967. You dont even have to play it backwards. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

True Robert, but if you account for a little author enhancement it still is intriguing. Nobody wants to read about a cold uncomfortable walk, they want a barely survivable trek through a freezing hell. If he was wet, the low 40s could have put him into hypothermia pretty fast. It would not have been a cakewalk. If indeed he lost one shoe in the jump it would be much worse, What strikes me is the location, the cold and the focus on inadequate clothing, particularly footwear. Somehow a cold weather survival experience hiking along banks of the Columbia River is clumsily woven in to a tale about Viet Nam. Very odd. Coincidence? Sure, very well could be. But the opposite is far more appealing to my biased mind. There is another passage at the end of the book where the central figure Grecco (who I think is really Peterson) is doing an off drop zone solo freefall jump deep into the in Viet Nam wilderness and angsts about the unknown ground elevation and how it might affect his choice of an opening altitude. If Cooper had prior jump expereince I'll bet similar thoughts knawed at him as he went down those stairs. too long a freefall delay could put you into elevated terrain at 120 mph. The chioce of "Grecco" for the hrero's name might be related to Peterson's appearance, Bob said he was olive skinned and looked Greek. I can see faces in clouds and clouds in coffee, so I take all my speculation lightly. Of all the suspects, however, I think Peterson is among the best qualified. The FBI sure thought he was a person of interest and may have had additional info about him that looked like it could have linked him to Norjack. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

100% confirmed, in the smoke jumper history archives. He was in the Missoula (MSO) class of 1953 and became a full fledged USFS smoke jumper. Pete was an out of the box thinker on skydiving too. He was doing home made bat wing jumps, night jumps, all sorts of stuff back in the day. He was a sport jumper in Viet Nam while he worked as a civilian refugee advisor. Of course I am biased, and I agree that Bob's account of "Dan's" pointed inquiry about 727 stairs a decade before the skyjack should raise some skeptical eyebrows, Still, let's see how it pans out. I have always been intrigued by a passage from his book where the main character spends a miserable night trudging along the freezing banks of the Columbia River wearing loafers, with leather soles that were frozen. Other stuff from the book mirror's Pete's real world experiences, such as the Bubbleator job and various skydiving episodes. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

As far as I know not one of the letters to newspapers contained anything that proved the author was DBC. Sheridan could have written all of them and still not have been the real DBC. Sheridan sure had the skills and knowledge to be DBC. Accomplished innovative skydiver, night jump experience, smoke jumper in Pacific NW, ex Marine with combat experience, former Boeing employee working in tech documents, etc. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

This outcome bias that Bob has worries me. It could be coloring his memory of earlier events when Sheridan "Dan" Peterson was a boarder. Wonder what led the FBI to target Sheridan as a suspect in 72? Skydiving? Boeing connection? The FBI has twice investigated him. What made them come back for a second look much later? 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Jo, What email address did the list link come from? That skydiveworld website I believe was set up by Thom Lyons, an old US jumper who emigrated to Australia. The guy on the list is our Sheridan Peterson, I know that for sure. Not sure about why the double entry with Gary Patmore (listed as Pitmore). Maybe some PCA/USPA license number duplication? I met Gary back in the day. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Does the 737 have deployable stairs??? I thought it only had pressure plug cabin doors and inflatable emergency escape slides. 377 Snowmman to the rescue. I stand corrected. The 737 did indeed have deployable aft side stairs. Definitely NOT jumpable. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

I believe he is still alive Jo. I sure hope so. Cooper or not Copper, Pete is still one hell of an interesting guy. I'd like to take him for a jump if he is up for it. Nobody would let him solo but I'll pay for a tandem. I have self interest. I'd love to talk with him during the drive from Windsor CA to the DZ at Lodi or Cloverdale. He reads dropzone, at least occasionally. Petes alibi was a doozie. He claimed to have been living in a mud hut in Nepal. I don't think the FBI necessarily believed it. They only ruled him out after taking a DNA swab and comparing it to what they believe was a partial sample of Cooper's DNA from the tie. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Does the 737 have deployable stairs??? I thought it only had pressure plug cabin doors and inflatable emergency escape slides. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

The Bob and Jane story if true is fascinating. I endeavor to keep two things separate: 1. What Dan said to Bob and Jane and what they observed. This is relevant if accurate. 2. What Bob's "predictions" and opinions about Cooper are. This is just speculation. Bob's Tena Bar theory seems like a huge stretch. If you want to convince a publisher that you are Cooper, mail them a single twenty and a note. It would have saved thousands and have been far more likely to be immediately noticed. On what does Bob base his Amboy chute = DBC's chute conclusion? If the smoking and olive complexion info is true it adds to the possibility that Dan was Cooper. Snow tracked down one photo of Sheridan that looks a lot like the FBI sketch. Was Dans employment at Boeing started after he lived at Bob's place? 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Quade, If Bob is being truthful we may have a real breakthrough here. Snowmman is uniquely qualified to help out on Sheridan Peterson research and analysis. We need his help. PLEASE Quade, as a favor to me, give Snow a trial amnesty and allow him to post. I ask others to join me in this sincere request. Come on folks, Snow could really add some value here. What do you say? Post your support or opposition. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Agreed! Jumped her a bunch of times at WFFC in Rantoul (2005?). TRULY AMAZING climb rate for DC 3. I read that the FAA made them patch some missing skin rivet holes... as if that really matters in a non pressurized acft. Man I miss jumping the big props. WFFC was heaven for me. C 54, DC 3, B 17, B 24, ATL 98 Carvair etc. I never did get to jump a Connie. Want to see an amazing DC 7B restoration story? Check this wesbite: http://www.conniesurvivors.com/1-n836d_jul10_article.htm Maybe someday we can jump a Big Doug Seven. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Come on Jerry. No need to call the cops. Consider editing that post while you still can change it. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Robert Nicholson wrote: I read Blevins' early free edition. It was entertaining and evidenced a lot of work. He makes a circumstantial case that KC was involved in something fishy and lucrative, but I am not convinced it was Norjack. I've read some of Bruce's articles on various subjects. I read Cook's article on DBC. I can't really recommend spending your money on any DBC book I've read. You'll get more certain gratification from drugs or alcohol. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

I kinda regret not buying a mangled piece of a Cooper twenty on eBay, but my frugal Dad drilled it into me as a kid: Don't pay for hot air. Don't pay $1.01 for a dollar bill. Besides, the eBay prices paid will seem way too high when Jerry finds the rest of the loot and pushes the market price down. What a delightful dilemma: do I mine a few ounces of gold today or put a few more twenties in eBay? 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

You know, now that you mention it Georger, the Smithsonian really should have something about DBC. Perhaps an exhibit or an artifact. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

It's funny how a book or other publishing agenda is treated here as something dirty, something that makes your opinion biased or even deceptive. I am not writing a book or making a DBC movie but I love it when others do. Bring em on, the more the merrier. Each one shakes the tree and eventually something useful could fall out. Kids these days don't know about DBC. They could find a stash of old twenties in an attic and spend it without a second thought. To keep the DBC story alive we need to put stuff out there, TV shows, books, magazine articles. I hope Jerry is writing a book. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Trash on dropzone.com? What trash? One man's trash is another man's treasure. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Jerry wrote: Same thing happens to me. The dropzone spell checker causes Internet Explorer to crash. It happens 100% of the time. When I use Mozilla as my browser it doesn't happen. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Georger wrote: Georger. Cool down. I am far from being anti intellectual or anti academic. My cynicism isn't universal. Many professors are well connected with the real world, but not all. Commercial fishermen have suffered at the hands off academics hired by the US govt's National Marine Fisheries Service. They have closed seasons due to erroneous models showing species depletion. They have ignored contrary advice and evidence from real fishermen. They have accepted sample trawl data from research vessels run by people who havent a clue how or where to fish effectively. Not all their research is flawed, but some is and it comes from not seeking or ignoring advice and info from experienced watermen. Many professors conduct research that is useful and 100% in touch with the world outside the ivory tower. I don't paint all profs with the same brush. I am a huge fan of public universities and especially proud of UC Berkeley which maintains academic excellence in the middle of campus insanity. I put my money where my mouth is and have endowed an undergraduate scholarship there to help poor kids afford to attend. When I went it was nearly free, but those days are over. In closing, didn't Tom Kayes upstream Cooper loot transport via propellor snag theory raise your eyebrow? He isn't a tenured prof but his "research" illustrates my point about being out of touch. Tom may have done other work on the Cooper case that is praiseworthy but since he is running silent and deep we don't have the opportunity to appreciate it. I must have touched a raw nerve. Jo thinks you are a professor. Could she be right? 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

It does look like a tie tack Jo, but it's a big hop from there to the back stairs of the NWA 727. Duane seemed to be a dapper dresser. Would he wear such a dimensionally mismatched combo of wide tie and short tack? 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Interesting post hangdiver. I too thought river pilots would know the Columbia's currents and eddys far better than academics. Trouble is pilots don't publish much. It's the Mark Twain thing. You can learn the river but it can't be taught. See this post and the attached article. http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?do=search_results&search_forum=all&search_string=12332&sb=score&mh=25 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Bruce wrote about the currency shards I got confusion Bruce. So many different stories about the shards. What I like about your approach Bruce is that you don't stop investigating when you get an answer that fits a particlar hypothesis that you might favor. You keep digging. You present contrary info if you find it. You wear out tires, shoe leather and your wallet. Most of us just wear out keyboards. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

RAF surplus, just two wires come out from switch contacts. Part of an AAD? Ejection seat stuff? It has a moveable trigger altitude 500 ft to 15,000 ft and has a baro calibration scale in millibars. no active electronics inside, just an aneroid and a switch. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.